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Mar

2021

Redecorating Tips on A Budget

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The new normal entails us to spend more time at home. Whether we are busy studying, working from home or simply just relaxing, sometimes spending too much time at home can be quite stressful. That’s why it is important to have a relaxing environment to help us handle stress. Having a new environment can help reduce stress levels. The way to achieve this is to redecorate your house. Redecorating does not have to be expensive. There are ways to achieve a fresh, new look for a room without spending too much. Here are redecorating tips on a budget:

1. Bring Some Plants

Plants make a space more alive. They also are important for your general well-being because it reduces stress and anxiety. The presence of plants bring about calmness. They also help clean the air we breathe in.

2. Create the Perfect Lighting

Lighting design is crucial in creating the right mood for your room. Not only that, the wrong lighting can be harmful to your eyes. It is underrated but it is actually the most important aspect in interior design for it can change the mood of the room at the same time it can change one’s perception on the size of the room. Functional lighting allows you to see the room clearly and do your work properly but decorative lighting like soft, dim lights is the one responsible for creating the mood and the atmosphere of the room.

3. Paint

Painting is one of the easiest ways to completely change the look and feel of a room. For example, darker colors make the room look smaller but warmer while lighter colors make the room brighter and larger. A lighter color in the ceiling as well as vertical stripes give the perception of more height. In the same way that putting a light colored decorative panelling can lengthen a room horizontally.

If painting the whole room is too tasking and too expensive, you can opt to paint just a piece of furniture or cabinets.

4. Put a Piece of Art

Putting a piece of art in a room gives character to the room. It also tells something about the personality of the homeowner. And besides, buying art pieces is a form of investment. Not everyone can afford a Picasso or a Van Gogh, but you can invest in an up-and-coming talent. Go to a local art college or a bazaar or even in the streets. Who knows, your choice might just be the next in-demand artist.

5. Re-organize and Declutter

Sometimes, all it takes is just some re-organization. Being surrounded by mess can be harmful to your health. When things are in disarray, it is time to clean them. Decluttering can help remove stress. While cleaning, throw away things that you no longer use. By keeping your things organized, you are also increasing your productivity.

6. Shop at Thrift Stores

Thrift stores, flea markets and antique shops can be great places to find some rare finds and hidden gems for a fraction of a price. These places offer great deals and some unique finds that you can use to redecorate your living space.

7. Use Accents

An accent is anything that stands out against the rest of the space. It is a contrasting piece that is normally bold and vivid. Accent pieces add warmth and character to the room. Accent pieces can include furniture, wall art, figurines and sculptures, pillows and other accessories like boxes, candles, baskets, flowers, shells, bird cages, bar carts and knobs.

Photo by ATBO from Pexels

Apr

2020

Smart Ways To Combat Boredom

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Having a daily routine is a good way to organize your activities. However, when you’ve grown tired of your daily routine, or when your activities are cancelled and you suddenly have nothing to do, boredom can strike. Taking a nap is one quick way to combat boredom but unless you truly need it, it isn’t the best way. You can play games of binge-watch TV shows but they are not that productive. We’re sure some ideas have already popped into your head but why not try some more uncommon ways to spend your free time? Try out these smart ways to combat boredom:

1. Redesign Your Life

Start redesigning your future life with a list. Sit down with some pen and paper and ask yourself these questions: “What do you want to become in the future? What areas of your life do you want to improve and how?” Write down a bucket list of all the things you want to improve in the different areas of your life.

2. Create a Vision Board

Once you have a bucket list of how you want your future life to be, get some old magazines, scissors, glue and cardboard. Sit down for a bit and write down a paragraph to summarize what your redesigned life is like. Take note of the important keywords and find the images that relate to those words in the magazines. Cut them out and arrange them accordingly on your cardboard. Your vision board should remind you of your future goals everyday so make sure to hang it where you will always see it.

3. Set Your Financial Goals

If you’ve been itching to tackle your financial situation, now is the time to do so. Focus on what your short term, medium term and long-term financial goals are and assess where you are now. From here, you can determine what you need to do to move towards your goals. Make sure that you are making S.M.A.R.T. goals so you can measure your progress.

4. Create Your Budget

So you might have your financial goals set but how about your daily, weekly, monthly spending? How do you allocate your money each time you get your paycheck? The answer to that is having a budget and while no one budget system is perfect for everyone, you can start with the Money Jar Budgeting System and tweak it according to your needs.

5. Plan Your Meals

A healthy body keeps you going so you can pursue your goals further. So what you eat is an important part of your success. If you’re going on a diet and even if you are not, planning your meals not only keeps you healthy but also keeps your budget on track. There are ways to get the most out of your meals while saving money on groceries. If you keep these in mind, your body and your wallet will surely thank you. Plus, you can ensure that you and your family get to enjoy all your favorite dishes too.

6. Organize Your Clothes

A messy closet can be a daily scene that seems normal when you are always in a rush to get out the door each morning. Now that you have the time, why not be productive and spend it organizing your wardrobe? You might find hidden gems that you can wear on your next party or items that you don’t want to keep but your friend would love to have. Make sure to check if you have the basic items and make a note of what you need to complete them. If you have a lot of items to let go of, then you can sell them for some extra cash.

7. Compose An Apology

Do you need to say sorry to a friend or family member but haven’t done so for whatever reason? Now is the time to compose your thoughts and learn to properly say you’re sorry. The important thing is to be sincere about it. It would be good to write down your thoughts first and practice saying your apology. When you think you’re ready, contact your friend or family member and ask them to listen to you as you state your apology. Hopefully, your sincerity should win them over and you can sleep with a lighter heart.

8. Hone A Skill

Got a hobby or childhood talent you’ve never had time to practice? Now that you’ve got the time, pick up that guitar, paint brush and canvas, or that manual and start training yourself again. Or you can learn a new skill. All the greats started where you are now and you may not be aiming to be a professional in that field but improving yourself in something you love to do can boost your confidence and help you perform better in other areas of your life.

9. Start a Gratitude Journal

Being grateful is life-changing so why not start being grateful right now? All you need is your favorite notebook and pen, or your mobile phone will also do. Review your day, week, month, and write down the things that you are thankful about. Don’t discriminate between the small things and the big things, they are all equally worthy of being grateful for. You can do this every day before you sleep so you can rest with good vibes around you.

10. Go On a Themed Staycation

This is especially fun to do with the whole family. Since you’re stuck at home, why not indulge in a themed staycation? It doesn’t cost much and it can be fun. It can be a game night, a musical where you are all actors and singers, movie night with kids movies, starting a garden, a home decluttering theme, or even making a game of finding things that you can get rid of in your home. While some things may sound like a chore, if a delicious home-cooked meal is a reward, it should bring a sense of fun into the activity.

These are just some of the things that you can do while you’re stuck at home, alone or with your family. What other things do you do to help ease boredom at home? We’d love to hear your suggestions.

Original Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash.

Apr

2020

Remove Stress by Decluttering

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Look at the photo above. How do you feel? Don’t you feel mentally exhausted? You will feel stressed just by mere looking at it. Does your environment look similar? The fact of the matter is that a messy living and working environment do cause stress and anxiety. A study done by anthropologists from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) showed a direct link between clutter and stress. So, to remove stress, you must begin by decluttering.

Clutter Defined

What is clutter? A clutter is a collection of things from mails, books, magazines, plastics, pens, dirty clothes or just simply anything that is scattered everywhere creating a mess. It results to the impediment of movement and it reduces the functionality of the space.

It is difficult to maximize the use of your space if you have clutter everywhere. Not only that, chances are, you will be wasting a lot of time looking for missing items. In addition, clutter can also make you lose money by misplacing your bills. You might also feel embarrass when there is an unexpected guest. Thus, removing clutter will help you get rid of that unnecessary stress, worries and fear.

Causes of Clutter

Common causes of clutter include:

Emotional attachment to things
Guilt in disposing presents
Lack of time to clean up
Procrastination
Shopping for things that you don’t actually need
Unfinished projects

How to Remove Clutter

Here are some tips on how you can remove clutter in your home:

1. Allot 15 Minutes per Day

Decluttering can be overwhelming if you have managed to accumulate tons of it for the past several years especially if you are busy. It would be very difficult to do it one sitting. The best approach is to allot 15 minutes a day for decluttering. All you need is a timer and a calendar. Set the timer at the start of the 15 minutes and mark your calendar with an X once you are done. This 15-minute daily habit will not only slowly transform your home but will also result to an improvement in your quality of life.

2. Do it One Room at a Time

If clutter is present in your whole house, the best approach is to do it one room at a time. Choose the room where you spend most of your time.

Figure out what the purpose of that room is. Each room in your home needs to have a clear purpose. What is it for? Is it a place where you sleep and rest? Is it a place to entertain your guests or to eat with the family?

Once you have clearly defined what the specific purpose of that space is, now you need to remove all things that do not relate to that specific purpose. Start with the left hand corner going down and slowly moving to the right. Think of it as if you are reading. Once you have finished with one room and see the results, you will be more than motivated to continue to the next room.

3. Use the 3-box-method

First look for items in your house items in your house that you need to declutter. Get 3 boxes and label each box with the following:

Keep
Donate
Dispose

Then begin filling each box. Make sure to fill up each box equally. For items that you are unsure of, ask yourself whether you need that item or not. If you do need that item, do you use it? If your answer ‘no’ to both questions, then that is a sign that it is time for you to let go of that item.

4. Do the Oprah Winfrey Closet Hanger Experiment

If your problem is on how to organize your wardrobe, a quick and easy way is the Oprah Winfrey Experiment. Start with hanging all your clothes in the opposite direction. After wearing a specific clothing, return it back to your closet but this time in the correct direction. Do this for six consecutive months. After six months, you will have a clear idea on what items to dispose and not. You can try this approach with other household stuffs such as linens, bedsheets, cleaning products, etc…

5. Stop Buying Stuff

If there is a need for you to declutter, it only shows that you have so much stuff in your home. It would be very difficult to proceed with your decluttering if you are going to continue buying stuff. So, stop buying in the meantime until you have finished your decluttering. You will also be saving money by not shopping.

First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 07.22.2018

Feature Image by Posted by A.L. Jonas in Environmental, 0 comments

Mar

2020

Things To Get Rid Of To Improve Your Home

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Feeling bored? If you are one of the millions of people out there who are in a lockdown because of the coronavirus, now is the perfect time to clean and organize your home. A clean house is good for you and your overall wellbeing. Just look around you, for sure, there are things to get rid of to improve your home.

When your environment is clean you feel happy, motivated and healthy.
– Lailah Gifty Akita

According to a study by Nicole R. Keith, PhD, associate professor of Indiana University; people who live in cleaner houses are healthier and more active. On the contrary, another study reveals that people who live in cluttered areas are more likely to be depressed. Clutter affects people’s feelings and satisfaction about life.

Normally, people are so busy that they don’t have enough time to clean and declutter the house. That is the reason why things just accumulate over time. If you want a better and healthier life, take advantage of this time to get rid of things or clutter in your house. Here are top 10 things that you need to get rid of as starters:

1. Expired Food

Go through your refrigerator and your pantry. Avoid health risks by getting rid of anything that is already expired! If there are foods that you don’t eat, it is much better to give them away so that someone else can enjoy them.

2. Expired Medicine

Do you have any unused or expired medicines in your cabinet? You really have no use for expired medicine. It is best that you throw them away. Check the dates on the labels of each box or bottle. The ones that you will still keep should be properly labeled. Take inventory of those that you no longer need such as pain relievers or antibiotics. It is recommended that you throw them away also. Remember, they are prescribed specifically for you. It is not wise to let others take the medicines that was originally intended for you.

3. Expired Beauty Products

So, you can’t bear to part with an half-consumed expensive beauty product that you bought a year ago. Unfortunately, hanging on to expired beauty products might be doing your skin more harm than good. They might even become the cause of a skin problem.

In a study published by the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, results showed that about 70% of women in the study used expired beauty products and that 67% of the make-up samples used by these women were contaminated. If you use expired beauty product, there is a big probability that it is contaminated.

4. Clothes You Don’t Use

You might have shoes or clothes that you don’t wear anymore that are just taking up space in your closet. If you do, this is the best time to get rid of them. They may be outdated or do not fit anymore. Whatever the reason is, if you have not used them for over a year now, that’s a clear sign that you should get rid of them already.

5. Old Magazines

Let’s face it, you are not going to re-read old magazines or subscriptions. Before they even pile up and start cluttering your home, why not donate them instead to local charities, schools, libraries or free clinics?

6. Unused Plastic or Bottle Containers

It is always best to recycle plastic and bottle containers. However, if you have kept them for so long and they are still unused up to this time, it is best that you dispose of them already. Just may sure to dispose of them properly so that they can be recycle elsewhere. There are companies that buy unused plastic and bottle containers for recycling.

7. Outdated or Broken Technology

If you have old or outdated technology, that is considered an eWaste, short for electronic waste. These kind of waste can be extremely harmful to the environment because of the materials used in its production such as lead, mercury and arsenic. So, if you have old technology at home such us gadgets, TV remotes, cords, chargers and many others; it is best that you dispose of them properly. Include used and old batteries that are just lying around.

8. Old Toys

Throw away broken toys. Donate old toys that are no longer in used but are in still good condition so that you can make other children who are less fortunate a little happy. With the new toys that the children received over the years, they won’t notice if some of the old toys went missing.

9. Paper Clutter

Even in this digital day and age, you have probably still accumulated a lot of paper clutter in the house. Sort them out and throw away old newspapers, receipts, pamphlets, brochures, old bills, your children’s test papers and scribbled notepads.

10. Other Broken Items

Do you have any other broken furniture or items like chipped mugs, pens that are not working or broken jewelries in the house? Now is the best time to get rid of those. Remove clutter and get rid of items that are useless, broken and can no longer be repaired nor be given as gifts.

Edited Version. First published in Pinoy Smart Living 01.07.2019.
Feature Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay Images.

Jan

2020

5 Tips on How to Get A New Wardrobe

Reading Time: 4 minutes

If your closet is crowded because of too many clothes and you’re not wearing most of them, then it’s time to clean out your closet and get a new wardrobe. If you’ve just graduated from college and need clothes to go to work, or you’ve lost weight and your old clothes don’t fit you anymore, or if you just want to look differently to align with your future goals, then a new wardrobe is a good idea.

Here are some tips to get you started on getting a new wardrobe.

1. Review Your Lifestyle

Take a look at your daily schedule and see what activities you often do. Do you exercise daily? Then you need some exercise clothes. Does your office require corporate attire?

Then to dress for success, you will need some tops, bottoms and a blazer or a suit for your daily work. Assess the kind of clothes that you need for daily activities as these will be the items that you will need to invest in first.

Of course, you will need to put in your list some clothes for activities like going out to dinner with friends or for swimming or clothes for the airport if you travel a lot. Consider the types of footwear that you will need to go with each clothing category too.

2. Declutter Your Closet

Now that you have an assessment of what clothes you need to for your lifestyle, it’s time to do the same for your closet. Sort them out according to the different activities that you use them for. Then for each category, decide which ones you can keep for your new wardrobe and which ones to toss, sell or give away.

You will need to be ruthless about deciding which clothes to actually keep and let go of because this is the only way you can make room for new items in your closet. If you want to achieve the lifestyle that you truly want, then you can start by dressing for success. Tailoring your closet staples to your goals is a good first step.

3. Create a Plan

Clearing out your close space should help you declutter your mind as well. Then it’s time to sit down with a pen, paper and a calculator and create a plan.

First, review the clothes you are keeping and list down what clothing items you need to buy in order to complete your ward robe. If you’re aiming for a promotion to girl boss, consider these tips on power dressing must-haves. If you’re just starting out to build your wardrobe, then check if you already have the basic pieces in your closet or check out the must have’s for a man’s wardrobe or a woman’s wardrobe.

Next, you will need to create a budget for the new clothes you will buy. Figure out what each item of clothing costs and how much you will need in total to buy them all. Remember to look for good quality items so that they will last for a long time. Your wardrobe is an investment after all. Then, see how much of your budget you can save for new clothes each month.

4. Go Shopping

Once you’ve figured out your shopping list and your budget, you can set your plan of attack. You can decide to save until you can buy all of the items you need in one go. Or you can buy one to two items each month.

A good tip is to shop in different stores instead of the ones you used to go to. This way, you can see different clothing styles and even sharpen your fashion sense as to what combinations of styles you can do for your own wardrobe. Consider these tips on how to look expensive on a budget.

Remember to buy the ones you need at the moment first and save up on buying the others items that you will need for a later season.

5. Organize Your New Wardrobe

Now that you have new clothes in your closet, it’s time to organize your closet again. This time, display all the clothing items that you will use daily. You can mix and match them or color coordinate them if you want. You can also start pairing them up with the accessories and shoes and bags that you have.

There will be clothes that you won’t use as yet so store them neatly so you that easily take them out when you’re ready to wear them for the next season.

Once you’ve completed your wardrobe staples, then go ahead and enjoy the experience. In the future, if you decide to change your style and create your own, then you will have an easier time in making the transition.

We hope these wardrobe tips help you get ready to work on your goals every day. We would love to hear about your wardrobe transformations too. If you already have a wardrobe , then check out these tips on how to organize your wardrobe.

First published on Pinoy Smart Living 07.27.2019.
Original photo by Alyssa Strohmann on Unsplash.

Jan

2020

Tips to Organize Your Wardrobe

Reading Time: 2 minutes

We all need our clothes, shoes and bags for our daily work but we don’t need all of them all the time. The changing seasons also means that we use a different set of our wardrobe for a different season. Here are 5 tips to organize your wardrobe. An organized wardrobe keep your stuffs in order and keep clutter at bay.

1. Store Off Season Clothes

If it’s summer don’t keep clothes for cold season on the rack or on your shelves. Store them away so you can keep them clean and not have to pick them up on the floor every time you’re choosing what to wear. This keeps them in good condition and saves space in your closet. You can then take them out when it’s the season to wear them and store the previous season’s clothes away.

2. Organize Your Closet

Sort your clothes and decide what organizers you need and what your closet or cabinet allows. For example, if your closet has a hanging rod but you want more shelving, then you can buy hanging shelving to store clothes you don’t want stretched out on hangers. You can do the same for bags and other accessories

3. Use a Garment Rack

To clear more space in your closet, use a garment rack to hang clothes you use most of the time such as your favorite jacket, blazer or shawl; your go-to jeans and blouse, etc. You can also hang your favorite accessories here such as your fave scarf, hat, sunglasses, handbag, etc. The floor space can be used to line up your shoes too.

4. Organize Your Accessories

Gather your accessories and sort them out. Do you have a lot of bracelets or watches? You can DIY an accessory organizer customized to your collection so you can easily display them on your dresser or DIY separators to organize them neatly in your drawers. You can also DIY or purchase a jewelry organizer that you can hang in your closet or on a wall to save more space. You can also hang your scarves and belts for easier access. This makes it easier to see what you have so you can easily decide what to use.

5. Display Your Shoes

If you have the wall space, use tension rods to display your shoes or get shoe organizers the you can hang on your door. This means you don’t have to go thru boxes each time you need to select what shoes to wear with your outfit.

These quick tips to organize your wardrobe might take some work but it’s all worth it. If you can see what clothes and accessories you have, you will be able to use all of them. Having them organized also lets you spend less effort trying to remember what you have and searching for what you want. Remember that you only need a few basic pieces in your closet to stay stylish and chic.

First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 04.20.2019
Feature Image: Original Photo by Yasmine Boheas on Unsplash